In broad terms, both herbs and spices come from plants, but herbs are usually the fresh leaves. On the other hand, spices are typically dried, and they make use of many other parts of the plant- root, stalk, seed or fruit. Both herbs and spices add flavor to the dish, however herbs are more subtle while spices have a much stronger flavor.

Plan Your Garden with Planter!

This time, we’re growing a plan centered around spices! This plan is pretty pepper-heavy, simply because of how useful and diverse they are; as usual, this plan is not an exhaustive list of spices, only a suggestion!

If you’re ever looking to grow a spice that isn’t present in Planter, you can add custom plants through the app, or as a premium desktop member! You can find more information about that by clicking here!

Companion/Combative Info

• Onions, while not featured in this post, are a great companion plant to peppers (which make up a large part of our example garden!) Peppers are particularly prone to aphids, and are protected by the pungence of onions and shallots!
• Fennel and dill will play just fine together normally, but if you are looking to harvest the seeds, you might want to give them some healthy space. Some accidental cross-pollinating can cause some strange flavors in both.
• Fennel shouldn’t be planted by peppers- it releases chemicals in the soil to inhibit the growth of competing plants, so your peppers will pay the price. In this plan, we put them in a container of their own to ensure they don’t cause any trouble! If you’d like to learn how to customize your garden view like this, click here!

Commonly used spices:

Coriander

The seed of the cilantro plant, which is also used as an herb! These seeds are often used in a variety of cultures, including Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. Their mild flavor is put to good work alongside other spices in curries, masala, soups, or even pickles. Heating the seeds before using them will bring out their flavor, so be sure to toast them before grinding them up!

When your plant bolts, let it dry out, and then the coriander should be easy to shake from the seed head!

Fennel

Fennel is used usually as a root veggie, but you can also grow it for the seeds and use them as a spice!

Raw fennel seeds have a fresh licorice flavor, but bringing heat to the table sparks brand new flavors. When they’re cooked, the seeds offer a more sweet and caramelized flavor. These work well as an interesting sweetener for soups, broths, or oils; all you have to do is simmer them in the dish and strain. When ground, they can be a great rub on meats, particularly pork or lamb.

Ginger

Ginger, like many on this list, is a strong and showy participant in dishes! You have to be very careful about how much you use, but its warm flavor compliments many sweet or savory dishes. Try it ground in baked dishes like cookies gingerbread, add it to broth for a delicious ginger noodle soup, or add it to marinades for fish or chicken. No matter how it’s used, it will often take the show due to its strong and bright sweetness. My personal favorite salad dressing is made of carrot and ginger, and is a staple in most hibachi restaurants. This root can also be candied for an explosively spicy-sweet treat!

Peppers

Chili peppers and the like can be considered a spice! When dried, their spiciness takes a whole new level.

Paprika and Cayenne are both made from powdered, dried peppers. However, their levels of spicy are leagues apart. Paprika is made with mild peppers like bells, and isn’t very flavorful by itself, but when smoked it can be a great pairing to tomatoes or meat. On the other hand, Cayenne uses much hotter peppers, and should be used MUCH more sparingly, with care not to touch your face or eyes!

Mustard seed

Did you know- mustard seed is the largest selling spice in the world? It’s included in so many household condiments and pickled foods!

You can grind up the seeds with vinegar or oil to make your own mustard (the condiment), or you can roast the seeds to bring out earthier flavors and rub them into chicken or fish! It’s also key in pickling, and an essential ingredient in relish.

Garlic

Fresh or dried, powdered or minced or crushed, garlic is a very hearty powerful spice great in curry or most savory dishes. This spice is, dare I say, as useful as salt or pepper. After all, what can’t you use garlic in? It’s a staple in italian cuisine, incredible on any kind meat, and it’s even good raw in salsa. Something I’ve seen done before that I really want to try is roasting the cloves (which makes them really sweet) and then spreading them on toast. The only downfall of this pice is its strength- it’s very easy to go overboard.

Rosemary

Rosemary is sort of a grey area- while you typically use the leaves, like an herb, its woodiness would classify it as a spice just like bay leaves. Regardless, rosemary is a warm addition to many dishes. Make sure to mince the needles finely, as their woodiness makes them tough even after cooking.

You can make a rosemary butter that flavors steak, or rub it into rich meats like lamb… or you can bake it into bread (focassia is the popular choice) or even gnocchi. It pairs well with cheese, too, or lemonade. Its warm flavor and smell can add a new dimension to many different dishes, so don’t be afraid to make use of it!

Lavender

Lavender is typically used an herb, but you can use the flowers, buds, or seeds as a spice! Seeds can be steeped in tea, or you can steep them in milk for lavender ice cream. The buds and flowers can be very powerful when dried, and their floral flavor naturally pairs well with sweet flavors and baked goods; however, lavender isn’t a one-trick-pony! When paired with other herbs and spices, they can revolutionize tomato sauces or roasted potatoes.

Dill

These seeds are a key ingredient in an important process- Pickling! But that’s not their only use. Unlike the leaves, dill seeds are enhanced by heat. Toasting these bundles of goodness brings out their flavor and aroma, and they make a good substitute for caraway in breads. Alongside spices like pepper, onion, and garlic, ground dill seed also makes a great rub for pork or steak!

In Conclusion…

Cultivating a spice garden is a delightful journey that brings a spectrum of flavors to your fingertips. From the mild allure of coriander to the bold zest of peppers, each spice adds its unique character to culinary creations. Let your spice garden be a testament to your culinary taste, turning every meal into a celebration of your harvest and the rich tapestry of spices you’ve nurtured. And let Planter be your planning companion, so your garden ideas grow to fruition! Happy growing and savoring!

Today, we’re focusing on an assortment plants that we can use for tea. Whether it’s the fruit, leaves, root, flower, or even the seeds themselves, there’s incredible range in the kind of plants that can be used for a wonderful cup of tea! We’ll be focusing on some of the more common plants in this Growing Guide.

Harvesting

• Some plants may taste better dried or fresh, so experiment! Fresh leaves will tend to make more mild flavored teas.
• The best time to harvest tea herbs is a dry morning; too late and the heat of the sun will dry out the leaves a bit, but also drive out some of their flavor.

Drying

• Just as there are many options for tea plants, there are also many methods of drying your plants! Most herbs will dry out plenty when hung in paper bags (with holes poked in) in a cool, dry place.
• However, something as simple as a microwave or a low-heat oven could also do the trick- just make sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!

Storing

• The most important thing is to keep your harvest stored in an airtight container; whether that’s in bags or containers, in the cabinet or the freezer in cubes, it doesn’t matter too much! It may be useful to label your containers while you’re at it, if you’ve dried similar-looking herbs.
• To see if dried herbs are still good for tea, rub them between your fingers and smell them. If they smell like nothing, or dusty, then the best thing you can do is toss them!

Steeping

• About 1-2 teaspoons of your harvest with 8 ounces of water should be enough for the perfect tea.
• Most things will be ready after about 8 minutes of steeping. If your blend is too bitter after that time, try reducing the time; or if it’s too weak, increase it.
• Some teas, such as green tea, go bitter when steeped in boiling water. If your tea is too bitter, and reducing steeping time only made it weaker, try steeping with hot (but not boiling) water!
• Some of your plants aren’t going to fit in a tea bag, but you can use a sieve, french press, or a tea ball to separate out the solids from the tea.

Example Garden Plans

This garden’s plants had no combative or companion relationships in our database; however, future Plan Your Garden guides may feature plants that do interact! We’ll be sure to let you know of any possible interactions, if that happens.

Tea Plants Breakdown:

Blueberry

Whether you opt for fresh or frozen blueberries, both bring a burst of flavor to your cup. Consider experimenting with complementary notes by pairing blueberries with basil, hibiscus, or green tea for a unique twist. If you want to extract the full berry goodness, try mashing the blueberries directly into the water and then straining the mixture!

Raspberry

Get ready to dive into a world of raspberry goodness – and it’s not just about the berries! Whether you opt for the juicy fruits or the leaves, raspberries bring a unique twist to your tea experience. If you like green tea, you’ll love the raspberry leaf brew. On the other hand, the fruit themselves offer tartness, and pair exceptionally well with a squeeze of lemon or some black tea.

Lemon

Lemon is something that may be tough to grow in a small garden, but its versatility is unmatched; it earns its place in this list. Whether you prefer squeezing in some fresh juice or tossing in slices of the fruit, lemons add a burst of brightness that complements not just herbal teas but even black tea. If you want lemon to be the star of the show, try it with honey- and if you want a drink to really rock your taste buds, pair it with ginger as well.

Strawberry

Get ready to sweeten up your tea game with fresh strawberries! For a classic touch, pair strawberries with black tea, and if you’re feeling something a bit smoother, you can add milk for some strawberry milk tea! If you want something more herbal, experiment with pairings like mint, basil, ginger, or anything citrusy.

Echinacea

Known for its long history of medicinal use, the coneflower brings a unique pine flavor to your tea, creating a distinctive and invigorating brew. It’s incredibly versatile, too; you can use the leaves, the flower, or even the roots. It’s a strong flavor already, so it doesn’t need much to support it- maybe honey and lemon, if it suits you!

Lavender

Whether you use the flowers or even the leaves, lavender brings a calm and sweet flavor to your cup that’s not overwhelmingly floral. This versatile herb plays well with others, making it a fantastic companion to herbs, a drizzle of honey, or even in black tea. The variety English Lavender is particularly excellent for tea, with its compact flower heads.

Chamomile

Whether from dried buds for a relaxing experience or fresh ones for a fruitier note, chamomile is your go-to for a soothing cup. This versatile herb can stand alone, offering a gentle floral flavor, or blend seamlessly with other herbs for a delightful herbal harmony. So, whether you’re unwinding or experimenting with blends, chamomile brings a touch of tranquility to every sip.

Bee Balm

Bee balm, a tea sensation in a small package! Whether dried or fresh, petals or leaves, this herb packs a punch with a robust mint flavor and subtle citrus notes. A little goes a long way, so use it sparingly for a refreshing twist in your tea. Whether solo or in a blend, bee balm is your shortcut to a bold, minty, and citrusy tea experience.

Ginger

Meet ginger, the flavor powerhouse for your tea adventures! The root, when peeled and grated, has a robust flavor that easily takes the spotlight. This makes it an easy solo act in your tea cup – a perfect alternative to coffee for an invigorating kick. Known for its digestive benefits, ginger pairs seamlessly with the sweet touch of honey and the zesty freshness of lemon. Spice up your tea routine with the bold and energizing essence of ginger.

Nasturium

Introducing nasturtium, a floral delight for your tea cup! These orange blooms, bursting with personality, offer a distinctive note that can stand out on its own or complement other herbal blends. They make a peppery brew to wake your senses! Spice up your tea ritual with the subtle warmth of nasturtium, making each sip a flavorful journey.

Cilantro/Coriander

Whether you’re working with dried seeds or fresh leaves, cilantro adds a unique twist to your brew. While the dried leaves may not retain much flavor, fresh ones bring a subtle citrus and peppery note, while the seeds boast a tangy and floral taste, even making appearances in the world of beer flavoring. This herb loves to mingle with lemony companions and a hint of honey, creating a fragrant tea rich in antioxidants and vitamin K.

Fennel

Fennel’s tea potential lies not in its leaves, but it’s seeds. Steep them like any other tea for a licorice-anise symphony. For a fresher note, opt for some mint to assist- for a sweeter kick, introduce stevia or honey to build on that licorice goodness. But if you’re feeling bold, toss in some ginger and lemon for a strong and well-rounded flavor explosion.

Basil

Whether you fancy the flowers or the leaves, basil brings a subtle peppery note to your cup. Dive into herbal harmony by pairing it with mint for a refreshing twist, or let it dance with the bright zest of lemon or citrusy herbs. This herb also plays well with black tea, creating a blend that’s both familiar and comforting.

Catnip

Catnip isn’t just a feline favorite but a soothing herb for your tea as well! Whether it’s the dried leaves or flowers, catnip can brew into a calming and mild mint tea. While your cats might go wild over this plant, for humans, it’s a gentle remedy that can aid with headaches and provide a moment of tranquility.

Lemon Balm

Discover the soothing embrace of lemon balm tea, crafted from its dried leaves that release a bright citrus flavor with every steep. This herbal infusion not only tantalizes your taste buds but also offers a refreshing remedy for insomnia and anxiety. Allow the calming essence of lemon balm to guide you into a tranquil state, sip by sip.

Lemongrass

Embark on a journey of relaxation with lemongrass tea, carefully crafted from its vibrant stalks known for their digestive and calming properties. Whether dried for a concentrated experience or used fresh for a burst of vitality, lemongrass adds a unique twist to your tea repertoire. Exercise caution when harvesting this herb, as the stalks can be sharp! Remember – a little goes a long way with this intense herb. Use sparingly to avoid overwhelming your palate, and consider pairing it with black tea over ice.

Mint

This versatile herb harmonizes effortlessly with other companions like lavender, thyme, and rosemary, creating a symphony of flavors in your teacup. Opt for fresh mint leaves for a milder tea experience that gently soothes your senses. Explore the vast array of mint varieties, each offering slightly different flavors. Whether it’s the sweet allure of Chocolate Mint, the fruity notes of Apple Mint, or the classic appeal of Peppermint, let the diverse mint family elevate your tea ritual to new heights.

Lemon Verbena

Indulge in the refreshing essence of lemon verbena tea, skillfully crafted from its dried leaves that impart a zesty, lemony flavor. Beyond its delightful taste, this herbal infusion is renowned for its digestive benefits, making it a good choice for after a meal. Savor the bright and citrusy notes as you sip on lemon verbena tea, letting its soothing properties contribute to a blissful moment of relaxation while aiding digestion.

Sage

Elevate your tea experience with sage, a herb that brings a bold and distinctive pine flavor to your cup. When using sage leaves, be mindful of their potent taste, which can be overwhelming. To create a harmonious blend, consider pairing sage with the sweet touch of stevia or honey, or a splash of lemon Explore the unique combination of flavors as sage takes center stage, complemented by the subtle sweetness of honey or stevia and the bright citrusy notes of lemon.

Stevia

Step into the world of natural sweetness with stevia tea, crafted from its dried leaves. Known for its intense sweetness, treat stevia with care, using it sparingly as you would with sugar—it’s nature’s sweetener. Don’t expect this to be the tea’s main contender; it should be used as support for other herbs.

Experiment with pairing stevia with mint, creating a refreshing and sweet symphony that tantalizes your taste buds; or, you can opt for something citrusy like lemon balm. For a unique twist, combine stevia with sage, balancing its sweet notes with the bold and piney flavors of sage.

Thyme

Savor the slightly savory and highly fragrant notes of thyme, offering not only a delightful tea experience but also providing relief for coughs and soothing your throat. Whether enjoyed on its own for a pure thyme infusion or paired with a citrusy herb, this versatile tea promises a comforting and flavorful journey with every sip.

Thyme’s leaves make delicious brews whether they’re dried or fresh. While the stems may not contribute significantly to the taste, they make taking the leaves back out much easier.

Rosemary

Immerse yourself in the delightful pine-y essence of rosemary tea, made from its dried leaves. Enriched with a touch of citrus, this aromatic infusion creates a harmonious balance that tantalizes your taste buds. This pairs perfectly with other citrusy herbs to bring out those undertones. And just like most herbal teas, you can always sweeten up your brew with stevia or honey.

As the air gains a chill, we tend to seek both warmth and a way to use our leftover harvest. Thankfully, you can do both by making some of these herbal teas! We hope this Growing Guide brings you some comfort and heat this season- keep an eye out for more pieces in this Plan Your Garden series!

A note: You may be wondering, where’s Camellia sinensis (the tea plant)? We looked into it, of course, but growing and making black tea at home turns out to be a very long process. Given its pervasive availability in stores, we opted to simply reference it, rather than include it as an entry. It’ll join our plant roster on Planter sometime; however, if you plan to grow it before then, you can easily create a custom plant on our app!

Why should I bother?

Leaves are free mulch, fertilizer, or insulation all in one! They’re very good at holding water, and full of nutrients. They’re a rich source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and particularly carbon- all gathered over the whole warm season. They’re food and home alike to your local critters, from worms to fungi to bacteria. They can be a blanket to both insulate soil and protect it from the elements. Bundling it all up in the trash is a waste of such a readily available and all-natural material!

Okay, so how can I use it?

Shred Your Leaves

You don’t necessarily need a leaf shredder for this- taking your lawn mower over the leaves should do just fine! Breaking them down into smaller pieces makes it easier for your garden’s natural decomposers to process. This isn’t required, of course, but it helps!

Mix them into your soil

Leaves are all-around boons to soil health! If your soil is heavy and high in clay, leaves can lighten it up; if it’s dry and sandy, they help retain moisture! If you mix them in now (when the cold season is starting), they’ll decompose over the winter while your veggie crops won’t need the nitrogen. By the time you plant, the nitrogen will be available again! If you mix them in while your plants are growing, though, make sure to add some slow-release nitrogen fertilizer so everything can run smoothly.

Insulate and Mulch Your Plants

A thick layer of leaves will protect your plants’ sensitive roots from the biting cold of frost. No amount of leaves will fake a summer’s warmth; but by blanketing cold-hardy plants with leaves, you can push your growing season even past the frosts. A layer like this will also act as great mulch, protecting the soil from erosion, seeds, and also helping to retain water!

Attract Worms

A layer of leaves on top of your garden is like a buffet to your voracious tunneling friends. Worms are an often overlooked but valuable tenant of a garden; their tunnels improve soil aeration and water flow throughout, and help to integrate nutrients from additives like leaves into the soil by eating and excreting it!

Start Preparing for Next Season

Maybe you don’t want to dig into your soil right now, with the temperatures dropping, and that’s okay! You can start your leaves in a compost pile to have nutritious soil ready for next season, or even start a leaf mold pile. Pound for pound, leaves have twice the mineral content of manure, so they’ll give a great boost to your garden no matter when you use them! Remember, the best compost will have brown (carbon-heavy) and green (nitrogen-heavy) parts, so

What is Leaf Mold?

Left to its own devices, a pile of leaves will be a lovely food source to fungus. If you push your leaves into a pile and let it run its course, in a couple of years it’ll process into leaf mold, a special kind of compost that’s high in calcium and magnesium, and holds enough water to rival even peat moss!

Your trees may be giving up their lovely green coats, but it isn’t for nothing- their now fiery splendor is a natural gift to your space. Not only does it look lovely, but leaves are incredibly beneficial to your garden! Whether you use them for their abundance of nutrients, their water-retaining power, temperature control, or a home for beneficial critters, the falling of leaves is a boon to your garden every year!

Benefits

Equipment

Foods to Dehydrate

Tips

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The climate has been particularly disturbed lately, and it has not only thrown growing seasons into disarray. Storms such as hurricanes are increasing in frequency, and these can cause some serious damage to many parts of your life, including your garden. It’s important to learn how to best recover when Mother Nature decides to throw a wrench (or a tree, or a power line) into your garden. It can be quite the daunting task, but with some elbow grease and time, you can transform your storm-ravaged garden back into a place where your hard work bears fruit!

Fixing Up The Garden

Assess the Damage

Once the storm has passed, the first step is to see what needs to be resolved. Take a walk around and look for any fallen branches, broken structures, or uprooted plants. This will help you figure out what needs to be done first!

Prioritize Safety

Your garden will come back- so don’t risk your own safety in your panic. Storms can result in dangers such as downed power lines or unstable trees, so make sure that you check the area carefully and use protective gear such as goggles, gloves, and sturdy boots. If the situation is too dangerous, make sure to acquire help- especially if there’s a wire down!

Clearing Debris

A great first step is to start by clearing branches, leaves, and other debris. Your trellises may be in a tree, or in pieces, or somehow weathered the storm in place, but if it’s in the way of cleanup it’s going to have to move.

Righting Uprooted Plants

Plants are incredibly resilent- the winds and water may have uprooted your plants, but as long as their root systems are mostly intact, they will persevere! This goes for anything from a tomato plant to a plum tree, so be sure to put everyone back in their earthy seats!

Remove Plants Beyond Repair

Unfortunately, not all your plants may weather the storm. Plants that have lost significant portions of root systems will likely not bounce back from the incident, so keep an eye out for plants that have sustained considerable damage. It can also be a fresh chance to add something new to the garden, so don’t be afraid to say goodbye!

Protect from Pests

Storms can weaken plants, leaving them susceptible to pests and diseases- and insects can even use the wind like public transport. Keep an eagle eye out for any telltale signs of infestations or illnesses, and take swift action to nip any potential problems in the bud. Any new problems could become very prevalent in a recovering garden.

Protecting For The Future

Cleaning and Pruning

Reducing Soil Erosion

Heavy rains are often a cause of soil erosion, which will carry away your nutritious topsoil, so keep an eye out for spots where that’s been washed away. If you see them, you can rebuild the topsoil with mulch, or implement some more permanent erosion control measures. Cover crops are a great boon in protecting your topsoil from the elements!

Help the Water Table

If you notice a lot of consistent flooding in your garden, there could be an issue with the water table- the amount of water that your garden can hold in its soil. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to help support it: you can plant plant shrubs or trees near recurring water pools to draw from it, reducing the load on the soil. Alternatively, you can redirect water flow by filling in the pools, forcing the water to move elsewhere. This will ultimately help in reducing soil erosion in future storms.

With the increasing intensity of storms as of yet, it’s very important to prepare and be versatile in the face of such disasters. We at Planter hope that this guide might help those who have been impacted by such storms, notably those in California, Oregon, and Idaho who are recovering from Hurricane Hillary. Similarly, I hope that some of these tips may help people prepare their gardens in advance for the coming weather events, to have one less thing to worry about in difficult times. Happy gardening!

Pruning for Vigor

Pruning isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a strategic move. Try pinching off suckers- those side shoots that appear at the junction of the main stem and branches. These shoots typically grow very vigorously and compete with the main stem for nutrients. This redirects the plant’s energy towards fruiting, resulting in larger, healthier tomatoes!

Thinning for Success

Similarly to pruning, thinning will help to promote larger tomatoes! Counterintuitive as it may seem, thinning out early fruits can boost your overall harvest. By removing some young tomatoes, you allow the plant to channel its energy into fewer, but larger and more flavorful, mature fruits. It’s all about quality over quantity!

When thinning, choose the smaller, underdeveloped fruits to remove. These are typically the ones that formed early in the season, or are on the bottom of the truss. Aim to leave about 4-6 tomatoes per truss, depending on the size of the tomato variety.

Topping Techniques

Topping, the art of removing the main stem’s growing tip, is a technique that divides tomato growers. By topping your plants, you promote lateral branching and more abundant fruiting. It’s typically performed when the plant reaches a particular height- typically around 4-5 feet, but it varies based on growing conditions and variety. It’s simply matter of preference, and can be fairly rewarding!

The Art of Tomato Trellising

Taming the tomato jungle definitely involves trellising. Stakes, cages, string, or other supports keep plants upright, enhancing air circulation and reducing disease risk. A well-supported tomato plant is a healthy one. If you’re looking for an extensive guide to trellising your plants, we have a great tomato trellising guide here!

Covering Disease Management

Tomatoes are prone to various diseases, particularly diseases of the leaves such as bacterial leaf spot or blight. But don’t worry- good gardening habits will lessen your risk of contracting these in your plants!

Rotate crops annually, provide proper spacing, and eliminate overhead watering. Opt for disease-resistant varieties to bolster your garden’s health. Avoid growing monocultures of single varieties (or even plant families) so that you won’t get your whole crop wiped out by a single outbreak. With careful monitoring (and pruning of infected leaves and plants), you shouldn’t have to worry about disease wiping out your tomatoes!

Waging War on Pests

Pesky intruders like aphids and hornworms can wreak havoc on tomato plants. Employ natural predators like ladybugs and lacewings, and turn to organic insecticides when needed. Regular monitoring is key to keeping pest numbers down. If you’re interested in biological control in the garden, here’s our blog post on pest hunters you can introduce!

Wrapping up the Season

As the growing season winds down, clean up your garden bed. Remove all plant debris to discourage disease and pest overwintering. Consider sowing cover crops to replenish the soil during the dormant months. If you’re not yet feeling like saying goodbye to your garden for the year, here’s a post that may help to carry you through the fall season!

Embrace Crop Rotation

The last tip, but certainly not the least, is to rotate your tomato crops annually! This simple practice prevents the buildup of soil-borne pests and diseases, ensuring the longevity of your tomato-growing success. If you plan to garden long-term, and don’t want to sign yourself up for future difficulties in severe soil amendments, crop rotation is only going to help you!

Mastering these advanced techniques enhances your ability to cultivate robust and productive tomato plants. As you experiment with new tricks such as pruning, thinning, trellising, and pest management, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your plants’ needs and strengths. Remember, gardening is an ongoing journey, and each season offers new lessons and opportunities for growth. Happy gardening!

What nutrients are important in the garden?

There’s a lot of different nutrients that go into our growing plants, but let’s talk about the essential nutrients your plants need. There are the three macronutrients that plants require in larger quantities, often referred to as N-P-K:

1. Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen’s vital for leafy growth and that lush green color we all love in our plants. This is a primary ingredient in enzyme and protein development!
2. Phosphorus (P): Phosphorous’s role in the system is energy; it’s Important for strong root, flower, and fruit development!
3. Potassium (K): You may also hear this referred to as Potash; Potassium is the quality control for plants. It helps with overall plant health, disease resistance, and fruit quality, so your hard work proves fruitful (pun intended!)

You might recognize these three from fertilizer labels! There’s a reason that these are the big three;

How do I know that my plants are nutrient deficient?

Now, how do you spot nutrient deficiencies? Thankfully, plants often are very good at keeping us informed about what they need. Just like how limp leaves show when your garden needs water, keep an eye on your plants for any of these signs:

• Yellowing leaves: Could indicate a lack of nitrogen, because it’s very important to the production of chlorophyll!
• Dark/Purple leaves: Could fortell a phosphorus deficiency; phosphorus is necessary for new growth, so stunted growth is also a telltale sign of it.
• Leaf curling: Could be a sign of potassium deficiency, because potassium helps to regulate water balance. In an ideal water balance, the leaves should be nice and sturdy!

A soil test is the best way to know when and if your plants have a nutrient imbalance, so regular testing is a good habit for any gardener to get into! That way, you can notice changes before your plant even has to tell you. It’s always best to test!

What do I do if my plants are nutrient deficient?

There’s many things you can use to boost your plants if they’re low on an important nutrient! Fertilizers are, of course, a useful and all-encompassing solution in this situation. Different fertilizers will have different ratios of those three primary nutrients, so be sure to choose one that supplements what you need!

If you’re hoping for some other soil amendment options to use, we covered those more extensively in this blog post about soil amendments! For a cursory rundown, compost is pretty balanced in nutrients depending on what it’s made up of; manures are extremely rich in nutrients (typically nitrogen, but bat guano is high in phosphor) ; and additives like wood ash is high in potassium!

Mulching is also a great long-term practice overall; it retains moisture in the soil, suppresses weeds, helps keep the roots a bit less cold in the winter, and (most importantly here) will slowly break down into nutrients!

How can I avoid nutrient deficiency in my garden?

Many farmers practice crop rotation to avoid stripping an area of nutrients. If you’re thoughtful about what you plant each year in each spot, you can allow your soil to take breaks every few seasons to naturally revitalize itself with the nutrients it needs; then, you won’t need to make dramatic fixes in soil makeup to help your plants.

Whether you plan to amend your soil to resolve your issues, or hope to prevent them by changing your gardening habits, we hope that this guide has made nutrient deficiencies a minor hurdle in your gardening adventure!

Why is Pet-Proofing Necessary?

Pet-proofing your garden is crucial to protect the safety and health of your pets. Many common garden plants can be toxic to pets if ingested; similarly, some chemicals and pesticides used in gardening can be harmful to pets, so you’ll want to keep your fur babies away from it or opt for pet-safe alternatives whenever possible. Pets could also be injured by stray tools, particularly if they’re sharp; or they may eat your compost and get sick.

On the other side, pets, especially dogs and cats, can unintentionally cause damage to a garden. Even through playing, behaviors such as digging, trampling, doing their business, or snacking on the plants, could cause damage. Digging can uproot plants and disrupt the garden’s appearance, while trampling can lead to bare patches in lawns and flower beds. Pets’ urine contains nitrogen, which can burn plants, and their feces may introduce harmful bacteria. Chewing on plants can harm their growth. Additionally, pets can disrupt beneficial insects and their role in pollination.

By implementing some preventative measures, you can make sure to protect your pets and your hobby!

3 Great Ways to Pet-Proof Your Garden

• A wall or fence can protect the whole bed

Six feet is generally high enough for most dogs. If your dog is an exceptional vertical jumper or a good climber, go for seven or eight feet. Chicken wire may be plenty strong enough for cats or dogs who don’t try and test physical barriers, but if your pets are aggressive investigators, wood or hard mesh may work out better for you.

If your pets (or local animals) have a tendency to dig, you might want to burry the bottom of the fence deep with stones just under the surface. Most animals will stop digging once they hit something hard.

• Raised beds are difficult to wander into

This can deter animals like bunnies, too, which may wander in with the intent of getting an easy meal and a good place to burrow. This does restrict your gardening area, however.

• Odorous deterrents can repel the animals entirely

Plants like rosemary or peppers deter some animals like dogs; Coffee grounds keeps cats away

What if I want a Pet-Friendly Garden?

• Fences are still important

Even if you’re okay with your pets bounding through the garden rows, you still need to protect them from dangerous areas. Make sure they won’t end up chasing each other or a toy into a road or another property!

• Try to create a play specific area

Some pets tend to participate in mirroring, where they try to mimick things their humans do in order to bond better. If you find your pup is digging up your garden after you planted new things, creating a specific area for the pet to dig (maybe with some good sturdy plants that can take the abuse) is a great way to bond!

• Be careful of pet-toxic plants or chemicals

Plants like onions, chives, garlic, daffodils, sunflowers, parsley or fennel can all give a horrid stomachache - or worse - to your pets. The ASPCA has an extensive list of such plants to exclude from a pet-friendly garden. Similarly, you will need to invest in pet-safe chemicals for your garden, and make sure to keep your chemicals and tools locked up so that your pets can’t get hurt on them.

• Use wood chips to mulch garden beds to deter ticks

With your pets roaming in the outdoors, they may pick up some unwanted hitchhikers. There’s certainly some chemical means to deter such visitors, but a great option for preventing this issue is simple and safe for animals- wood chip mulch! Ticks don’t particularly like to move on hard, sharp surfaces, and the mulch will also protect your plants in the winter!

• Large plants are less likely to be trampled

This one’s pretty simple, but large, sturdy plants will hold up well against animals passing around them. Bushes or vines on trellises are some great options that will resist being knocked over or crushed underfoot.

In conclusion, pet-proofing your garden is essential to ensure the safety and well-being of both your pets and your plants. By implementing a few preventative measures, you can create a harmonious environment where your fur babies can coexist with your plant babies. Installing a wall or fence, using raised beds, and utilizing odorous deterrents are effective ways to keep pets out of your garden. However, if you want to create a pet-friendly garden, it’s important to still have some boundaries in place to protect your pets from potential hazards. Creating a designated play area, avoiding pet-toxic plants and chemicals, and using wood chip mulch to deter ticks are additional steps you can take to make your garden safe and enjoyable for your pets. Remember, with proper planning and consideration, you can strike a balance between your love for gardening and your love for your furry friends.

General Guidelines

• Before you start to add various different amendments to your garden, it’s important to know what exactly your garden needs (and what it doesn’t). Make sure to do a soil test to see if some of the issues you’re having are related to drainage, nutrients, or pH, because different additives will target different needs for your garden! You can gather a sample of your garden soil and bring it to your local extension office to assess its quality- or do a DIY test!
• When using animal-based additives, apply them 9 months before harvest, or at least 2 weeks before planting! These amendments are typically used to improve soil structure and support beneficial organisms in the soil.
• Mineral-based amendments are easy to over-apply because they take time to break down, so make sure to do a soil test before you start adding them! These amendments are typically used to correct mineral deficiencies.
• Make sure your plant-based amendments aren’t contaminated by herbicide, or they may cause more harm than good. These amendments typically are used to improve the soil structure.

Blood Meal/Bone Meal

Both of these options are animal-based slow-release fertilizers. Blood meal is acidic, and high in nitrogen; it doubles as a repellant to some animals like deer, moles, and rabbits because of its smell. However, it can be overapplied, and may promote leaf growth on plants you’re looking for flowers on. It also may attract carnivorous animals in place of the herbivores you’re repelling. Bone meal is used very similarly, but adds calcium and phosphorus to your garden! This fertilizer may also attract carnivores, but it promotes non-leaf growth in plants instead of foliage growth.

Wood Ash

Wood ash is the residue left after burning wood. It contains potassium and can help raise soil pH levels if the soil is too acidic. However, it should be used sparingly as excessive application can make the soil too alkaline. On top of its effect on the pH, it also adds nutrients like potassium, calcium, and nitrogen!

Perlite/Pumice

These two soil additives are used very similarly in garden soil; they both work to improve soil structure by counteracting soil compaction to allow air, nutrients, and water to reach and drain away from the roots. Perlite is lightweight, so it may over time work its way out of the soil; on the other hand, pumice is heavier, so it will stay in place more easily. Perlite is also very processed, while pumice is a naturally occuring volcanic rock, so it is more eco-friendly!

Buried Scraps/Compost

‘Buried scraps’ simply refers to composting kitchen scraps or burying organic matter directly beneath your garden soil. This helps improve soil fertility, texture, and moisture-holding capacity as the organic material decomposes and releases nutrients into the soil. The exact nutritional benefits of this will depend on what scraps you use. As before, be careful of herbicides that may be in your kitchen veggie scraps!

Epsom Salt

Epsom salt isn’t actually a salt, but it’s a compound of magnesium and sulfur. It supplements magnesium in the soil which is important for chlorophyll production. It’s also sometimes used to help with germinating seeds, or on the leaves instead of in the soil!

Worm Castings

These are an extremely rich fertilizer for nutrients and minerals! They help to improve soil structure, regulate water usage, and support beneficial microorganisms. They’re so packed with good compounds that you could use them instead of potting soil, and a plant will process as much as it needs at a time so you don’t have to worry about overapplying. This is a fertilizer you can make yourself, but we’ll leave that for another Growing Guide!

Inoculants

‘Inoculants" may be a scary word, but it’s a simple concept: an inoculant is anything that adds beneficial microbes to your soil. They can be used to enhance the soil’s biological activity and improve nutrient availability for plants. For example, legume inoculants contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria that form a symbiotic relationship with legume plants, providing them with nitrogen. These nitrogen-rich plants can then be composted to pass those nutrients and microbes to the rest of your garden!

Eggshells

Eggshells, like bone meal, are an excellent source of calcium. They have the added benefit of not attracting carnivores, and while they don’t deter deer and such, they can deter certain pests like slugs or snails.

Borax

Borax is a mineral salt containing boron, which is an essential micronutrient for plants. It is used in small quantities to correct boron deficiencies in the soil, which can lead to stunted growth and poor fruit development in certain crops. However, if you use it in high quantities, it can also damage your plants- you can use it carefully to eliminate weeds, but there is a risk of harming the plants you want to survive.

Manure or Guano

Depending on exactly what you’re getting this amendment from, the results can vary wildly. If you use bat guano, it is a fast acting and very concentrated fertilizer with a lot of phosphor. Chicken manure is also very concentrated, On the other hand, livestock manure (such as cow, sheep, goat or horse) is a slower-release fertilizer mainly providing nitrogen, and can help the soil’s ability to hold water. Rabbit manure is also a popular choice, as it’s a rich and well-rounded fertilizer that doesn’t have too high of a nitrogen content, so it doesn’t burn plants as often.

In conclusion, soil amendments are valuable tools for achieving a thriving garden. By understanding your garden’s specific needs and using the right amendments, you can improve soil structure, address nutrient deficiencies, adjust pH levels, and enhance overall plant health. Whether you choose animal-based additives, mineral-based options, composting, or other amendments, incorporating them strategically will lead to a lush and vibrant garden. So don’t hesitate to give your plants that extra boost they need with the power of soil amendments. Happy gardening!

Location, Location (and Time, too!)

Where you plant your tree or shrub is very important, because it will dictate both what you can plant there as well as how well it will do there. Your climate is the primary concern, however you may want to consider certain trees over others depending on variables such as size. A large tree will need room away from things like buildings so that it can put out a good root system. Similarly, different shrubs and trees will have different light needs. Your soil may led itself to certain plants better than others, depending on its nutrients or pH. All of these are important factors to consider when you’re looking to introduce a major new addition to your garden!

Plant in hand, it’s important to choose the right time to start it. The best time to plant is during dormant seasons: after leaves fall in autumn, or before buds emerge in spring, while the weather is cool. Certainly not in the summer- the amount of sun will promote growth of leaves, while a new transplant needs to invest in a strong root system first!

Make sure you know what is under the ground before digging! There may be underground utilities that you do not want to bother. If you live in the US, you can call 811; that’s our national call-before-you-dig number.

The Plant for You

Make sure to research the type of plant you’re hoping to grow. Fruiting plants may need to be planted in pairs, if they are not self-fertilizing, but some varieties don’t need a partner in order to produce fruit. Depending on the area you have for it as well, you may prefer a dwarf variety, or if you’re hoping to plant some sun-sensitive plants in a few years you might be looking for a large tree to provide shade.

Now We Prepare!

It’s important to prepare the planting area to avoid transplant shock, which can occur due to root damage

• Rake away ground cover like mulch and leaf litter
• Dig a hole 2-3 times wider than the root ball or container, and as deep.
• If the tree or shrub roots have a covering of some kind, make sure to remove it! It can restrict root growth very severely if you leave that on.
• Carefully shake off excess dirt from the plant, and if there’s any circling roots you can carefully straighten them out. Plants container-grown are particularly prone to becoming rootbound, so be sure to pay special attention to such plants.

Time to Plant

• When you lower your plant into the hole, make sure to hold it by the root ball, not the stem or branches.
• Make sure the top of the root ball (for shrubs) or the trunk flare (for trees, the place where the trunk flares out at the base of the tree) is not beneath the soil- it should be at around the same height as the soil. You can fill in or dig out the hole more if necessary to make sure!
• Before you fill in the hole with your new green neighbor, make sure that it’s just the way you’d like it. Make sure it’s straight, and its best side is facing the way it will be most often viewed!
• Finally, fill in the hole, making sure to lightly pack down the dirt to make sure of not too many air pockets. If the root ball is visible once the dirt is filled in, you can taper soil up to cover it, but you should not bury a tree flare at all!
• You shouldn’t fertilize at this point- a newly transplanted plant may have damaged roots, which can be burned by fertilizer. Similarly, adding anything but the soil you dug out to the hole as you fill it in can cause drainage problems.
• If you need to stake, a 3-stake system is ideal! However, unstaked plants will develop stronger root systems and trunks to support themselves, so think carefully whether your new addition needs it!

Maintaining Your New Addition

• Water thoroughly once the soil is all in place, then keep the soil moist with at least a weekly soak. Be sure to water more often in hot weather, and less often in cold weather. It may need a lot of water to fully soak; soaker hoses can be very useful for this! It’s very important that you don’t let your new plant dry out until it’s fully established.
• Mulch is a great addition for these plants- a couple inches of bark mulch can help to stop too much water from evaporating, control weed growth, and insulate the soil.
• Monitor your plant. While there may not be a lot of growth up top (which is exactly what we want), the leaves will still tell you plenty about the plant’s water needs, which is the most important thing to watch for after transplanting. If leaves are going brown or crispy and start to fall off, increase the watering; if leaves are limp or yellow, decrease the watering.

Remember, planting trees and shrubs is a long-term commitment. Ensure your leafy companions thrive by providing proper care and maintenance. Keep a close eye on their growth, water them regularly, and give them a trim as needed. By following these essential tree and shrub care practices, your green beauties will flourish and bring beauty to your garden for years to come. Happy planting!

What is the main cause of poor soil drainage?

Compaction! The weight of machinery, vehicles, garden equipment, and people pushes the particles of soil together tightly, reducing the spaces of air in the soil. Clay-heavy soils are particularly prone to this, because clay particles compact together easily due to their size.

Plant roots need air as well as water to thrive. If there’s not enough spaces in the soil, this can negatively impact plants in several ways; roots will struggle to establish, breathe, or possibly even get water. If the water is allowed to sit without a way to drain, it will also result in root or crown rot.

How to test soil drainage:

• Dig a hole 12 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter.
• Fill it all the way up with water so that the soil can be well saturated; the next day, fill the hole all the way up again with water.
• If your dirt is well-draining, all of the water should drain out within eight hours of that second filling. If it drains out in less than half the time, your soil is very sandy, and you might have to rely on watering your garden more thoroughly. If it drains at a rate less than 1 inch per hour, you’re dealing with poor drainage!
• For best results, you should repeat the test several weeks later to determine if you have a seasonal drainage issue (spring runoff, for example) or an overall poor drainage issue.

Options for fixing poor draining soil: 

Additives!

• The best practice to improve and maintain soil drainage is by adding organic matter (leaves, mulch, or compost). You may have to add compost for the next few years to improve drainage over time.

  • A good rule of thumb for this is to spread around a two inch layer of organic matter over your soil, and work it in about six inches deep with a spade or till. Over-tilling will make your problem worse, and may have caused the issue in the first place.

• Perlite or Vermiculite: these are two kinds of volcanic rock that will help break up soil and absorb water well. Sand can also help in a similar way, but not recommended (tricky) 
• Sand is very fine, and while it might break up soil clods in large amounts, it can also just fill the few spaces there are in the clay-heavy soil and slow drainage further.

Try Aerating the Soil!

Loosen and aerate heavy and compacted soils with a garden fork. Push the fork in and gently rock the soil forward and backward. Lift the fork out, move 8-12 inches, and repeat. This can work well in garden beds but may not be practical over large areas.

Plant in raised beds instead of directly in the ground!

Then you don’t have to dig up bad dirt, you can just raise your garden up!

Soil supplies plants and soil organisms with water, air, and nutrients. Ideal garden soil is loose, deep, and crumbly. It holds water for root uptake and allows excess rainfall to percolate downward quickly.

The organic matter content in a raised bed containing garden soil, should be 25%-50% by volume or 5%-15% by weight (as measured by a soil testing lab). 

Prevent the soil from compacting in the future

Try not to dig, cultivate, till, or walk on soil when it’s wet. There’s a good test for garden soil to determine when it’s dry enough to work with: Gather a handful of soil and gently squeeze it into a ball, then bounce it up and down in your hand. If the soil ball breaks apart, it’s dry enough to work with! In fact, tilling less is a great way to avoid compacting your garden soil further! Using no-till techniques with things such as cover crops sowed in the fall and then cleared out in early spring.

To sum it up, if you want your plants to thrive and contribute to a healthy ecosystem, you need to give them good soil with proper drainage. Compacted soil that doesn’t drain well can cause problems for your plants and the environment. But don’t worry, there are ways to improve soil drainage. You can use smart planting methods, choose the right soil additives, and maintain your soil on a regular basis. By taking these steps, you’ll help your plants grow strong and healthy and make a positive impact on the world around you.

Soil blocking is a seed-starting technique that can be a bit baffling for many gardeners who aren’t familiar with it. The beauty of this technique is that it’s a versatile option for gardeners who have troubles with seedling roots or simply want to cut down on their hobby’s waste. It’s not a difficult task, but it does require some preparation and a bit of a learning curve, so if you only plan to work with small numbers of seedlings, this method may not be the best for you. If you’re interested, but don’t want to invest in a soil blocker tool, there are also many DIY methods that you can use to make soil blocks right at home. If soil blocking sounds like something that might fit in with your gardening plan, read on!

What are the benefits of soil blocking?

1. Fewer Rootbound Seedlings

The primary benefit of soil blocking is that plants won’t get rootbound, like they would in a container! If a plant’s roots reach out and find a solid blockage, they’ll start turning to find space to grow out. In a small container, those roots will just keep on turning until they fill up the space: that’s called being rootbound. Rootbound plants, even when you transplant them, will take a few days to get their roots redirected to point outwards again.

Why doesn’t soil blocking do this? Well, it’s because roots react differently when they come in contact with air instead of a barrier! If a plant’s roots reach out and meet and find open air, they’ll stop growing out in that direction, putting energy into different branches of roots. This is called air-pruning, and when the roots that have met air are transplanted into the ground or a larger soil source, they will start to grow straight out again! 

2. Less Transplant Shock

Hand-in-hand with the reduction of rootbound plants, is the reduction of transplant shock! When you transplant out of a seed tray, you may be familiar with the fact that roots can become damaged when you have to shake and squeeze and jostle the seedlings out of the containers. No need for any of that with a solid, standalone block of soil- just pop it in the soil, and it’ll grow readily from its little cube!

3. Less Material Waste

Many seedling trays are pretty fragile, and break down quickly. With soil blocking, you can make just about any container into a seedling tray! Seed trays also may result in more rootbound seedlings, if seeds are allowed too much time in the container, but we’ve covered that particular topic plenty up above. If you’re looking for places in your lifestyle to cut down on plastic waste, this is an excellent place to start!

What tools will I need?

When it comes to deciding on the size of soil blocks to use for germinating seeds, there are a few factors to consider. Small seeds or those that require warmth to germinate would do best in smaller blocks, such as ½ inch cubes. Using smaller blocks helps with heat absorption, especially if a heat mat is being used. For most other seeds, 2 inch blocks should work just fine. 

If you’re unsure, ½  inch blocks are a safe bet as long as you aren’t using seeds that are particularly large. Most ½ inch blocks will also transplant easily into larger cubes if needed!

If you’re feeling crafty, you can even make your own soil block maker at home using items like tin cans, PVC piping, or even pill bottles. You can click here for an example of such a project!

If you’re ready to arm yourself with a quality soil blocker, there are many good options available for purchase online, such as the highly-rated soil blockers from Ladbrooke: 2" blocker (Amazon, BootStrap Farmer) and mini blocker (Amazon, BootStrap Farmer).

How do I get started?

1. If you’re doing soil blocking indoors, make sure to have a good area to work in where you don’t need to worry about dirt on the floor. You’re also going to need a large container to hold your mix in; two would be better if you can manage it, in case you end up needing to sift a chunky mix.
2. You’ll need a soil blocker of course, but also a tray to hold the blocks that you make. Seed starting bottom trays will work nicely, but even cookie sheets or other containers could work well.
3. Next, the soil itself. A block made of just garden soil will fall apart- so, we’ll have to get mixing! Soil blocking works best with a certain mixture - there are many ratios that gardeners swear by, but the common ground between them is that there is a large amount of peat moss (or a peat moss substitute), some nutritional addition (such as compost), and a material to help with drainage (such as sand or perlite). Some mixes will also include a mineral fertilizer, so you don’t have to worry about fertilizing later on and burning the seedling roots.

Here’s an example of a blocking mix, but you can find many different options if you do some research!

• 3 parts peat moss or coconut coir (If you use coconut coir, it’ll likely need a good hearty soak ahead of time. If you’d like to learn more about peat moss or coconut coir, check out our article comparing Peat and Coir)
• 2 parts garden soil
• 2 parts perlite or sand
• 1 part compost

4. Mix your ingredients in a large tub. You might have to sift the whole mix at this point if there’s too many large chunks; seeds might have trouble germinating well in a particularly chunky mix. You can also sterilize your mix with boiling water if you’ve had problems with pests such as fungus gnats in the compost or dirt you’ve added.\
5. Once your components are all mixed and sifted, you can add about 1 part water to 3 parts mix. Once you’ve got that all combined, water shouldn’t drip from the mix when you squeeze it, but it should be close.
6. When your mix is made, the procedure is pretty simple! Press your soil blocker into the potting mix by pushing your blocker down into your soil mix a few times, rocking it back and forth in the mix to really get the soil packed in well before scraping off the excess with your hand or the edge of the soil container. You can hand-pack your blockers if you find your blocks aren’t quite dense enough and keep falling apart.

7. Once it’s packed full, move your blocker over to the tray and dispense the blocks. Most soil blockers have a spring-loaded handle that you push, and when you lift the blocker after depressing the handle the blocks should be sitting pretty all in a row! Clean your soil blocker off between each set, to make sure subsequent blocks can be ejected smoothly.
8. Finally, it’s time to put seeds in their little beds. Depending on how deep of a divot your blocker leaves, you may need to fill it up a little with vermiculite so that smaller seeds don’t get lost in the block. We found that covering the seeds lightly with vermiculite rather than more soil mix worked better; the soil block mix is made to hold its shape, so seedlings struggle to push their first leaves through it if they’re covered with the soil.

What do I need to do with my seeded blocks?

Freshly-made soil blocks will probably not need watering for a few days, but after that, bottom watering or misting are the best ways to go about rehydrating them! We want to make sure not to tear apart our little blocks, so watering from above has to be with water that isn’t under a lot of pressure, and watering from below should be with only a little flow to not erode away the soil. Wait for your blocks to be dry on top before watering again to avoid algae growth on top!

Our takeaways:

Soil blocking does have a learning curve- its a skill to take your gardening game to the next level. It would be good to be fairly comfortable with the fundamentals of starting seeds before moving to soil blocking. 

It might not make sense if you’re only starting a few seeds since you are going to the extent of making your own mix, etc.- in that case it’s probably much more time and cost effective to just use a few containers.

It is more labor intensive than using plastic containers or trays, but there are so many benefits for the plant, and it’s nice to save the plastic and to not have to sanitize containers every year. 

Transplanting does go a bit faster since you don’t have to pop the plants out of containers so you do recoup a bit of time there.

Gardeners should weigh the pros and cons to decide if soil blocking is right for them!

If your first attempt at soil blocking fails, try and try again! It’s going to take some practice to get the right soil moisture, the right amount of soil packed in the tool, etc. But once you’ve got the hang of it, soil blocking will elevate your seed starting game and help to reduce waste all at once! It’s a really rewarding experience once you start to get the hang of it, so if soil blocking is something that you’re interested in, give it a try!

It’s time to look at some more specialized tools!

Loppers

Much like large pruning shears, these are good for cutting thicker stems or thin branches. They’re particularly useful for hedges, if you’re the landscaping type!

Pruning Saws

Pruning saws fit a niche between handsaws and loppers: they’re good for cleaning up some trees or woody bushes, but sacrifice precision, and don’t quite cut through large woods quite as easily as a handsaw might. For your garden variety landscaping (pun intended), it may do the trick!

Edger

• Not to be confused with a lawn edger, which is used for cleaning up your lawn rather than plotting out your dirt!

An edger is pretty simple; it has a wide and squat shovel-like blade, and it’s used to mark straight lines in your garden! It’s great for helping to visualize your square foot gardening, to bring your Planter garden plans to life!

Hori-Hori Garden Knives

Hori-hori knives are a fairly new edition to the western gardening scene, but its versatility has made it a popular addition to many a gardener’s toolkit! This small, flat, polished blade resembles something between a trowel and a knife, and can be used for either function; it’s great for use as a small trowel for digging, or as a knife for cutting roots or weeds, making harvesting a breeze!

Kneelers

This one’s in the name! There are a couple of types of kneelers; the most common type is a thick foam piece that supports your knees when you’re getting down into the dirt of your garden. Some are collapsible stools, made lightweight but sturdy for use in the garden for sitting or kneeling on! It could make a good tool table too, if you’re not afraid of staining the knees of your pants.

Watering Wands

Watering wands, used in conjunction with a good long hose, can make watering hanging pots or flower boxes easy! They’re similar to a shower head, which makes them great for reaching higher-up plants.

Soil Monitors

This handy soil sensor is great if you’re growing less hardy vegetables! Depending on what kind you get, these can give all sorts of information such as the pH of the soil, how moist the soil is, or how many hours of sunlight that it’s getting!

Soil Blocker

Used to create seed blocks, these tools are becoming more popular due to their reduction in waste! Soil blockers reduce the waste caused by fragile plastic seed trays, by making any tray a receptacle for seeding blocks.

Flamethrower

• Use these with extreme caution, if at all! Make sure your area allows them! These aren’t for playing around with!

Flamethrowers may be a surprise on a list for gardeners, but used correctly they can save a lot of time! Used mostly to burn off weeds, they could be used just before seeds germinate if you’re careful, or to just clean up weeds on dirt or stone. Not for use on any sort of wood mulch, naturally- don’t use a flamethrower on anything too flammable!

Still looking for more?

Are these tools a little out of your league? Well, no worries! The part 1 of this posted pair might be just what you were looking for! Head over to our post, “Unlock Your Garden’s Potential with the Right Tools!” to find more commonplace tools that might be just right for what you need! If you’re looking for something other than garden tools for your repertoire, we have another post you might like to check out: 2022 Gardener’s Gift Guide!

Armed with your brand new toolkit, it’s a great time to start preparing for the season! Check out Planter, on web or the app, to find the growing calendar in your area and start planning your garden journey!

Let’s start first with the basics!

Spades and Shovels

These two tools are very similar, but have some different strengths in the garden! A shovel has a pointed, rounded blade, and are great for general movement of soil; on the other hand, spades are squared off with straight sides, so are great for edging or for straightening the sides of holes!

Trowels

Trowels are small, handheld shovels that are great for more delicate soilwork. If you’re planting in window boxes, pots, or generally working with small plants like seedlings, these will be your best friend! Some of them will even have a serrated edge for cutting roots, if you need!

Rakes

You might have used a leaf rake before in your yard or garden, but there’s also another kind of rake that’s useful in the garden! Leaf rakes are lightweight, and great for removing light things from the top of your soil such as sticks or, of course, leaves. They’re also good for spreading mulch!

On the other hand, we have bow rakes! These rakes are more heavy-duty, and are very useful if you need to clear rocks from your soil or aerate and smooth over the top layer.

Garden Hoes

This tool has a long handle like a rake, but with a wide flat blade instead of teeth. They come in various sizes and shapes, and they’re great for breaking up soil, making furrows, or pulling up shallow rooted plants! If you need to clear out an area of grass for a new garden plot, a hoe will come in handy!

Cultivators

Hand cultivators are to rakes as trowels are to spades! This digging fork is useful for removing small weeds from your garden and roughing up soil.

Hand Weeders

If you have some stubborn weeds that bounce back from pulling or cutting, try out a hand weeder! Push it under the soil, under the roots of weeds, and lever the whole plant out! It’s great for dealing with weeds like dandelions, which have pretty frustrating root systems to deal with.

Pruning Shears

These handheld, specialized shears are great for work in the garden! They’re a perfect size for pruning and harvesting your crops.

Gloves

Gloves seem like a simple thing, but they’re an important inclusion in any gardener’s repertoire! Keep your hands clean, and protect from thorns, rashes, scrapes, cuts, and blisters! Some gloves are even made with hard, claw-like fingertips made for digging with!

Wheelbarrows and Carts

This tool will need some storage space itself, but a wheelbarrow is valuable for easy transportation of anything you need- plants, dirt, mulch, or other tools! If your garden is large, or a distance away from your mulch/shed/anything, this is for you!

Hoses

A good hose is indispensable, if you have more plants than a couple trips with a watering can can cover! Cut down on your trips back and forth to water, and pair your hose with an adjustable spray nozzle to control the amount and method of water use!

Some hoses are made to be laid out in your garden, too; these are called soaker hoses, and act like sprinklers. Lay them out around your garden amongst your crops, and they’ll slowly and steadily release water through their porous material to keep your soil moist!

Still looking for more?

Can’t get enough of garden tools? Well, never fear! Keep an eye out next week for this post’s partner, which will feature some less common and more advanced garden tools! If you’re looking for something other than garden tools for your repertoire, we have another post you might like to check out: 2022 Gardener’s Gift Guide!

While you wait for Part 2, it’s still a great time to start growing! Check out Planter, on web or the app, to find the growing calendar in your area!

If canning is already a skill well in your wheelhouse, here’s another Growing Guide listing a few alternative methods of using up your end-of-season produce!

The general tools you’ll need for canning are as follows:

• Wide-mouthed funnel and a ladle for filling the jars
• Something to lift the jars and lids out of boiling water
  • This can be some good large tongs!
• Jars with two-piece caps
  • These are lids that have a metal disc piece and a screw-on band piece, separately. You cannot reuse the lid part itself, but you can reuse the screw bands!
• Pressure pot and/or Boiling water canner
  • A pressure cooker or instant pot will not get hot enough for safe canning; they are not acceptable replacements! Make sure to get a pressure pot specifically designed for canning.
  • The boiling water canner can just be a pot large enough to fully submerge your jars with two inches of water above them.
  • What determines which you’ll need is the acidity of your produce! See the first tip below to learn more about it!
• Small spatula for releasing air bubbles

Here’s a great set of canning supplies from Amazon that’ll cover just about all these bases!

Tips for Canning

• Firstly, find a recipe for what you’re planning to preserve! This blog post can’t cover all of the different ways to preserve foods, so we’re focusing on the canning process itself; you’ll need to find an alternative source for your specific food. I personally recommend a source such as Bernadin, a business based in Canada that provides many free recipes and sells canning materials/ingredients! Bernardin Home Canning: Because You Can: Recipes
• There are two ways to go about home canning: the boiling water method, or steam pressure method.
  • The boiling method is for acidic foods such as fruits, jams and pickled plants; the steam pressure is for low acid foods such as veggies, meat, or sauces/soups. Be sure to figure out what method you need for the kind of food you’re preserving! The dividing line is around a pH of 4.6.
• If it’s your first time canning, try to start with the hot water method! The steam pressure method requires a pressure pot which can be a big investment. If you want to preserve low-acidity foods and don’t have one, many produce products in this category freeze well. For best results when freezing, make sure to blanch the produce first!
• Make sure to only preserve your best produce, and try to do so sooner rather than later for the best results (most produce is best 6-12 hours after harvest).
• If you’re making jams, try to use slightly underripe fruits. They have a higher amount of pectin, a natural thickener.
• Sterilize your jars by cleaning them, putting them into the canner filled with enough water to completely submerge the jars, and letting them simmer for at least 10 minutes. Heat the cleaned metal lids as well in a saucepan of simmering water.
• While your jars and lids are being sterilized, you can start to prep your recipe! Whatever method or recipe you choose, make sure to stick to it! Different fruits or vegetables will need different amounts of vinegar, citric acid, etc.
• To fill the jars, ladling is typically easiest, but a wide-mouth funnel is also very useful to avoid spillage. Make sure to leave room at the top as specified by your recipe, which will depend on what exactly you’re canning; typically a quarter inch for pickles, jellies, etc. and a half inch for fruits. Displace any air bubbles in the jars with your spatula, and put on both parts of the lid tightly after wiping the jar rim and threads clean. Add the filled jars back into the canner for a length of time also specified by your recipe! This processing time doesn’t start until the water returns to a boil.
• After around a day of resting after the processing, check the pop-tops on the jars to make sure they are sealed. The pop-top should not pop back up; if it does, they aren’t sealed properly and won’t preserve your food long.
• Store your jars in a cool, dark place like a pantry! They should last all year long, but check on them occasionally; a bulging or corroded lid indicates that the jar’s seal has failed, and you should dispose of that jar’s contents. Any mold or cloudiness, too, is a sign that you should not eat it!

For more in-depth information on canning, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation! General Canning Information

And again, here’s a great source for canning recipes and materials! Bernardin Home Canning: Because You Can: Recipes

Finally, if you’re still looking to find some more ways to preserve your harvest, pop over to our other Growing Guide: Use It or Lose It: What to Do with a Veggie Glut

Have you ever tie-dyed with your family or friends? It’s a fun and creative activity, and many synthetic dye kits are available on the market! However, there are several good reasons to try dying with plants; put simply, natural dyes are more eco-friendly than those on the market. You reduce your ecological footprint every time you choose to reduce your packaging waste or avoid introducing chemicals to the water system; choosing homemade alternatives is a great way to do both!

Food coloring, too, has been fostering more concern lately - some colors more so than others. Specifically, red dye #40 has been banned in the UK as it’s derived from petroleum. Food colorings are also theorized due to testing to promote hyperactivity in children, though that’s still being tested. Regardless, as before, natural dyes are far safer to consume and use than these petroleum-based dyes, and you can make them yourself at home!

If you’d like to read more about artificial food dyes, here is a resource from the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

https://www.cspinet.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource/food-dyes-rainbow-of-risks.pdf

How Do I Get Started?

Below are many plants you can use for specific colors! For best results, try mixing a few or testing out small batches to see what gets the color you’re looking for! Also, individual variations in plants (like avocados) will cause variations in the dye color; no two marigolds will create the same color dye, so it’s best to do big batches if you think you’re going to need the dye for more than one thing!

Red/Pink: Cherries, roses, beets, avocado pits/skins, red onion, strawberries, raspberries

Yellow/Orange: Onion skins, carrots, turmeric, saffron, celery leaves, paprika, marigold, sunflower petals

Blue/Purple: Black beans, blueberries, elderberries, red cabbage + baking soda, basil, Huckleberry, blackberry, sweet potato

Green: Grass, spinach, artichoke, mint, lilacs, matcha

Brown: coffee, tea, cocoa

Black: Activated charcoal (not exactly a garden product, but still a good natural dye!)

Some Things to Keep In Mind:

When making dye at home, keep in mind that natural coloring will create lighter, pastel shades as opposed to artificial vibrant colors. For a more vibrant color, make the base as concentrated as possible. Also, natural food colorings of course come from real food ingredients; the dye may have a small bit of that flavor left, depending on the ingredients used. Organic produce will be better for your dyeing needs as well, as added chemicals could mess with the mixture you create.

Some dye’s ingredients will interact with temperatures or ingredients to make different colors. For example, avocado scraps will make pink dye when steeped at low temperatures but brown if boiled. Red cabbage will make blue dyes if baking soda is added. If you do research into what ingredients you have, you could make a wide variety of dyes!

If you’re looking to dye eggs for easter, you’ll want to go with the clothing dye instructions below!

How to Make Natural Clothing Dye:

Some dyes will need specific different temperatures or ingredients to affect the color (for example, avocado scraps will make pink dye when steeped at low temperatures but brown if boiled). Here are the basic instructions:

When using plant products for dying, it’s recommended that you use an equal weight of scraps as the weight of what you’re planning to dye. To dye a shirt, you’ll need a lot more light ingredients like onion skins, for example, than beets. Put your ingredients (chopped up) into a saucepan or pot with enough water to cover it all, and bring it to a boil before leaving it to simmer until you get the color you like. 40 minutes is a good length of time for this, but for vibrant and strong colors you should let it simmer for a few hours. Turn off the heat and leave your dye to cool overnight if you can, and when you’re finished waiting you can throw the scraps into compost and you’ve got your natural dye, ready to go!

To dye your fabrics, start by washing them; wet clothing will take the dye more easily, and be easier to twist for tie-dye. Tie the clothes if you’d like, before soaking them in your vat of dye and leaving it overnight for best results. Wash out the colored clothes with cold water, untie them, and hang them out to dry.

Make sure to wash dyed fabrics with cold water to keep them looking vibrant.If you’re dissatisfied with the dying results, warm washes with strong detergent should get the fabric back to fresh and new!

How to Make Natural Food Dye:

There are two basic ways to make food dyes; from powdered ingredients, or by making a concentrated liquid.

You can make powdered ingredients out of your fruits or vegetables by freeze-dying them and then putting them in a food processor. These powders are often easier to use as they dissolve without much fuss and are more concentrated. Making powder at home might leave you with clumpy results depending on the ingredients, but they can be dissolved in a little bit of liquid to smooth them out.

The liquid method can be done by juicing your produce, pureeing and straining, or steeping some in water, depending on the ingredient choice. You will have to reduce the liquid by cooking it down to make as concentrated a color as possible, typically down to a fraction of a cup.

Once the colorings are made, you can use them in whatever you please! Add slowly and in small amounts to ensure the desired color and vibrance, just like any other food dyes. Icings and frostings are a good use for these, as well as baked goods, though the heat may affect the color. You can also use them as edible paints!

Your newly made food coloring can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Happy coloring, gardeners!

What is Bottom Watering?

Most people’s watering strategy is top watering: pouring the water on or around the plant to water the top of the soil and let it drain down. Bottom watering, aka “reverse watering”, is done by placing the bottom of the plant’s container into water and allowing it to soak up the water it needs via capillary action (the same process that drives liquid up a straw or up a paper towel).

Benefits of Bottom Watering

• It is more difficult to overwater when bottom watering.
• Because it doesn’t leave water pooling in the bottom of the pot, bottom-watering plants reduces the likelihood of root rot or fungal infections.
• You won’t be accidentally pouring water over the leaves, which can lead to water sitting in leaf/stem crevices causing rot. Some ornamental plants are particularly sensitive and get discolored and covered in spots if you drop water on the leaves.
• Bottom watering doesn’t splash water onto other plants, so diseases are less likely to spread between plants.
• Bottom watering keeps the soil uniformly moist so the entire root structure gets watered.
• Bottom watering gives the whole root system access to water, promoting a stronger and larger root system as it grows down toward the water source. For veggie gardens, this is particularly important: when growing seedlings with bottom watering, the root systems are deeper and more resistant to dry spells after they’ve been transplanted into the garden.
• Bottom watering doesn’t disturb seedlings’ position in the soil, so it wouldn’t harm the fragile new roots.

Drawbacks of Bottom Watering

• Bottom watering does take more time than top watering, but doesn’t have to be done as often because it thoroughly saturates the soil.
• It requires pots/trays to have drainage holes in them, but really they should have them anyway! Using containers for your plants that don’t have drainage makes it MUCH more likely for root rot to occur.
• Bottom watering isn’t very effective if the dirt is too compact, but top watering isn’t as effective when the soil has large channels for the water to flow right out.
• Watering from the bottom doesn’t flush out excess salt and minerals like top watering does. You’ll need to top water your plants once a month or so to clear out the mineral buildup and avoid root burn.

What Plants Should I Bottom Water? When?

Firstly, let’s cover some some dos and don’ts about when to use bottom watering:

• Bottom watering is best for small to medium sized plants, and seedling trays! It’s not as effective with large pots due to the sheer amount of soil.
• Bottom watering is great for plants with sensitive leaves, but not as good for plants with roots sensitive to salt buildup in the soil. Never hurts to check!
• If you use a humidity dome, it doesn’t matter the time of day that you bottom water; otherwise, it’s best to water at the most humid times of day so the least amount of water is lost through the leaves. In most cases, those times are the morning and late evenings.

Now, for the important bit: the how!

• Test if your plant needs water by your finger into the soil. If you push down to the second knuckle and still don’t feel moist soil, it’s time to water!
• Put a large dish under your pot, or a larger seed tray with no drainage under your seedling tray.
• Pour the water into the dish/tray; it’s fine if it’s a lot, the plant will take in what it needs.
• Exactly how long you let your plant sit in water depends on their size and how dry they are - 10 minutes is a good length, but check in on it occasionally. Let your plants drink until the soil just under the surface is moist (like a sponge, not wet) to the touch.
• Lift the pot/tray out of the water, and let it drain out the excess water. You’re done!

I don’t have dishes or trays like that!

Well, good news! Most pots with drainage holes come with trays to match, but round plastic trays like these can be found cheap just about anywhere! Some seed starter trays like this one come with trays for bottom watering, or you can also get pots like this or this with a setup built into them for it! Otherwise, there’s trays like this for putting under your seedling starter trays!

The Science: How Plants Carry Water

Plants cycle through water through a process called transpiration; During the day, the sun’s heat evaporates water from tiny pores in the leaves called stomata. As water leaves the system there, more water is drawn up through the xylem (the primary circulatory channel in a plant) all the way up from the roots! Think of it like a syringe; if you pull away the handle (in this case, the water leaving the leaves), liquid is pulled into the syringe at the bottom (water coming in the roots). Between transpiration and capillary action, a tree can get its water and nutrients far above the ground, against gravity, with no muscles - simply driven by the sun’s heat!